Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Holi hai.... par kiske liye??

A candid confession: I detest Holi. Always have. Even as a child. Perhaps I didn't have the required joie de vivre to appreciate the festival of colour. But I did enjoy the jalebis and puran polis served on the occasion. Another confession: I have added a dollop of home made ghee to my daily diet. And I'm loving it! Our grand mothers swore by its health boosting qualities. It worked for them. Why should it not work for us equally?? I shall let you know a month from now , and tell you the absolute truth. If I blimp out, I'll stop. If not... the dollop stays.I needed more than a dollop of pure ghee to deal with a very angry call this morning. The lady announced, " I am dissed. Very, very dissesed. I tried to reach you thrice yesterday... and couldn't." Well.... that can happen. I'm perfectly accessible under normal circumstances. But yesterday was not an ordinary working day. Did I tell you I taped an amazing interview with an amazing woman called Robin Roberts for ABC'S 'Good Morning America?" It is slated as a two hour special on Mumbai, and Robin had packed in so much during those few short hours she was in India - she had played cricket with 'Slumdog.." Tanmay, and sat in an autorickshaw at Sion - no, Salman Khan was not the driver. She was scheduled to meet Ratan Tata later the same evening. And here she was at my home, with a crew of eight very hard working people.The interview crackled and is likely to be telecast either today or tomorrow at 7 a.m. U.S. time. It will also be up on the ABC site soon, so we can all check it out. She was terrific. Those of you who caught her Barack Obama interview must know just how terrific she is. At the risk of sounding immodest, I have to say I was touched and flattered when she reached out , held both my hands and said with tears in her eyes, " I'll never, ever forget you... you are an extraordinary woman. Too honest for politics." We hugged and kissed. Cried and laughed. It was a perfect 'woman-to-woman' moment. Well..... which is why I couldn't take Thritty Strafford's call. I was in the middle of an interview. After Robin left, some mysterious bug hit me, and I collapsed ! Like, really keeled over, and couldn't get out of bed even after four Crocin's. Which is also why I couldn't take Thritty's other calls. I was knocked out. I wasn't taking ANY calls. Nothing personal. But would the lady listen? She was livid as she talked about the SALAAM BALAAK Trust that she runs, and how difficult it has been for her to rustle up funds to feed all those street kids. And how insensitive I've been to the cause etc. She has a charity movie premiere coming up this week..... and my remark has seriously affected the sales of her tickets. I requested her to re- read my column. That remark was based on a published interview of the main actor from 'Salaam Bombay' who sounded very bitter .Even so, I can understand Strafford's rage. I asked her to calm down and wished her well. This was after she had gone apoplectic about 'rich ladies in their fancy drawing rooms, who are seen at parties featured on Page 3, who won't spend 2000 rupees on a premiere ticket...." She thundered on and on, wondering where she'd find the money from, now that I had written one line about 'Salaam Bombay' and those obviously upset cast members who had featured in it?' Oh dear. She needed to deep breathe. I was genuinely concerned about her health at this point. She challenged me to sell some of those premiere tickets and attend the premiere myself. Phew! Strafford has indeed worked exceedingly hard for the trust, which is looking for 40 lakhs right now, so that those street kids don't starve. Donations welcome. It's been 20 years of dedication. But Shaikh, the actor who was picked for the lead role, is 32- years- old now, in dire straits and stands by his story. Who does one believe? Strafford told me her mother said ," If Shobhaa De has an honest bone in her, she will set the record straight." I have just done that. I hope it makes Strafford (and her mother) feel better. And that Thritty continues the excellent work. As for me, I'm planning to crawl back into bed and not take calls. But then , I doubt Strafford will be calling again anytime soon. And fortunately for me, most other callers are more understanding.

27 comments:

Oh, I hate holi too, after Govinda Its just anoter day when drunk men loiter the streets in menacingly unrecognisable avatars hooting at women. Eve teasing, 'accidentally bumping/rubbing against' women seem to be the order of the day with men knowing they cant be recognised.

Have had rather unforgettable, and unfortunate experiences on both days, and I hate them. AND HOW.

Oh, the colours of india..Happiness, pain, sorrow, hope, all emotions blend into the countless colours that represent India..

Apart from the above-mentioned textbook language, we all know what else gets disguised by India's colours. Hate, malice, fear, perversion... Should I even attempt more of these adjectives in this "festive" time.

Ok, so just watched Shobhaa's clip and Dev's (guy from Dharavi)talking about the contrasts of have's and have not's in the city of Mumbai. Shobhaa, I am glad you emphasized that inspite of living in luxury and comforts, one can still be aware of the have not's and do something about it. I am still in tears with Dev's story and message.I was glad that he could portray that inspite of living in slums, he and his family is determined, strong and moving ahead by taking education and doing best with what they have. Life can be tough but the main thing is not giving up. I do believe that's real spirit of India.

On the ghee front, do let me know about what you find out Shobhaa. My aai always keeps telling me that one spoon of ghee everyday is needed for you. I disagreed of course. So do let us know what you find out.

i've always had a similar 'holi-er than thou' stand about holi. and also maybe a discomfort due to my unwillingness to be a part of the in-the-face joie de vivre. but i guess, the yummy puran poLis more than made up for that!

i like holi.... even though i dont play it.. but its fun... in a way it does bring people together... its true that the day gives license for misbehavior... but the right company does the required trick...

Get well soon! I thought that Salaam Balak thing was very unfair on you. Surely you have a right to speak your mind! Indeed, that is precisely why 556 people (and counting) follow your blog.

I haven't heard of Thritty Strafford, but she seems to be a member of what I've heard described as the "charities mafia". I keep getting hit in the ribs at regular intervals by these people, usually women in their late 40s to early 50s, with a taste for fine wine and expensive cheese, and who spend more on the fundraising than the funds they actually raise.

As I write this, I am sitting on the window sill and watching many people loosening their limbs playing Holi. Looks like fun!

Shobha de, i liked your interview "Robin Roberts for ABC'S 'Good Morning America" i watched it on yahoo.com in germany ..... was surprised to see you in it and glad to the boy in slums speaking in fluent english. And since you have the following of your own, raise the issue of NO VOTE on voting machines. we need to get rid of politicians. I also read your article today in times of india thing "The 'new' desi girl is here, don't mess with her" ........its the women who have to become independent.....and then MOSTLY ITS THE MEN of INDIA who need to learn treating women equally. In small town like BRAUNSCHWEIG n germany, i witnessed Carnival where in everyone was dancing and drinking in open, but i did not see anyone misbehaving with women. Even kids were playing. HOLI is no excuse. ITS inherent third class mentality of INDIAN men, where they think they are only ones with testosterones.

ANd i forgot to mention that being from India, its really difficult to justify the behaviours of Ram/shiv sena to my colleagues and friends here in Germany, I have started to tell them that not all Indians are same/great. In my previous comment i meant to say that we need to get rid of our DUMB politicians by means of using NO VOTE and some educated class who keeps bickering about politicians should get out and vote this coming election. I will certainly ask for a NO VOTE in case i dont find any average politician ( and i m pretty sure i will not find any educated politician with some brains ).

Holi's fun, as long as you're getting some clean fun(well, not so clean when the mud and colours come into picture). But when the drinks start circulating, things do tend to get a bit out of hand. In any case, how can you resist your friends pulling you out to play. Chemical colors are actually what put me off. They're even more dangerous because the effects start showing once you've started washing them off your skin. Don't know if they ever will wash off mine. I'm red as a tomato.

Do keep the ghee! I've always had one too many extra helpings, but that's my mother for you. And she swears by it too.

Hi Shobha tai, wish you and your family wonderful and colorful holi. Recently, I read news that shahrukh criticizes you for your some comments and then I came across your this blog. I support your views on shahrukh. I also watched your interview with karan Thapar in october I guess. I like your view points toward the issues raised by Raj.

Dear Ms. De,I do not have a comment to make on this particular piece, however i wished to write to you about the interview you gave to Karan Thapar about 'Bombay vs. Mumbai'. Having grown up in Delhi I have always had a very cosmopolitan conception about Bombay, and great resentment to its renaming to 'Mumbai' which I felt negated its cosmopolitan culture. However although the city is unique in that it is owned by India, I failed to appreciate the concerns of the citizens of the city. Your interview was an eye-opener. I wished to thankyou for making time for the interview and more importantly for being forthright. Yours Sincerely,Spurthi Reddy.p.s.: i recommend anyone who reads this comment to watch the interviewhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSN_99yh1pw

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